1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for data input into a postage computer of the type suitable for the conversion of a current postage fee schedule to a new postage fee schedule table in the postage computer, both for postage meter machines and for scales containing postage computers, or similar devices containing postage computers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
German PS 38 23 719 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,735 disclose reloading a fee schedule table for postage fees initiated by a remote data center at specific points in time. When the data exchange is initiated by the server of the data center, the postage meter machine must remain constantly connected which is disadvantageous.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,077 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,606,508 disclose proposed initiating the data loading from the postage meter machine on demand, whereby the data base is updated after the activation of the postage meter machine dependent on conditions (such as, for example, name, date). In order to equip the majority of postal customers with a fee schedule table in advance of its effective date, this fee schedule is stored in a memory of a transmission means (chip card or cell of a GSM network) separate from the postage meter machine long before it takes effect. When the postage meter machine is turned on, the date of the calendar module of the postage meter machine is employed, or is operated on with further conditions that are entered, in order to select the table, and the table is thereupon loaded into the memory of the postage meter machine when the machine is placed into operation. An updating of the previous table ensues when loading from a memory of the transmission medium into the memory of the postage meter machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,710,706 corresponding to European Application 724 141 discloses a scale that is connected by an interface to a postage meter machine in order to update fee schedule table data. The loading of the update data ensues from a remote data center by modem to the postage meter machine. The loading and updating ensue in immediate succession. When a message is present that fee schedule table data are to be updated, a loading ensues. The update data or new fee schedule can be intermediately stored in the postage meter machine and a sector-by-sector deletion of the old postage fee schedule table in the non-volatile memory of the scale can take place before the transfer of the new fee schedule table data from the intermediate memory of the postage meter machine to the scale, and the write-in of the new fee schedule table data in the non-volatile memory of the scale. A number of tables can be stored in the scale, however, each table refers to a separate mail carrier that can be selected via keyboard. The minimum validity date of a fee schedule table allocated to a carrier identification number CIN is stored and is interpreted by the postage meter machine in order, as needed, to form request data, to load new fee schedule table data, or to update the data in the memory of the scale according to the CIN. If, however, the minimum validity date is also the conversion date from an old to a new fee schedule table, then a backlog of communications ensues at the data center when multiple postage meter machines wish to communicate with this data center on the same day.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,641 discloses a postal fee system wherein a validity check is made in the terminal equipment at the user side. The postage fee schedule table is transmitted from the data center to the terminal equipment. A code belonging to the postage fee schedule table is also transmitted from the data center to the terminal equipment. The terminal equipment generates a comparison code from a message based on the received postage fee schedule table. On the basis of the comparison of the received code to the generated comparison code, the validity of the received postage fee schedule table can be checked in the terminal equipment. The terminal equipment thus can verify the communicated postage fee schedule table. For reducing the communication backlog with the data center, when multiple postage meter machines wish to communicate with this data center on the same day, a very high number of modems would have to be utilized, thereby increasing the outlay at the data center. Communication problems also occur due to the backlog, which lead to a lengthening of the conversion process to the new postage fee schedule table for a number of devices. During this time, the users cannot operate the affected devices for mail processing.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for data input into a postage computer wherein the conversion event to a new postage fee schedule table is shortened without thereby increasing the outlay in the data center.
A further object is to provide such a method and apparatus which allow a postage fee schedule table to be communicated to terminal equipment on demand in order to be able to load this into corresponding memories of the postage computer without the loading having to be preceded by a shutoff of the machine.
The above objects are achieved in an inventive method and apparatus for data input into a postage computer which allow a loading and updating of postage fee schedule table data in the postage computer, with transmission and storage of a new postage fee schedule table in a postage computer being implemented on demand arbitrarily during the operation of the postage computer or can be automatically implemented pre-programmed at a first point in time. After the user-defined loading, the updating of postage fee schedule table data is automatically implemented at a second point in time defined by the carrier. The postage computer can be arranged in one of the devices of a mail processing system. A trigger key for loading is preferably arranged in the same device that contains the postage computer. The device with the postage computer preferably contains a memory for storing rate tables.
Inventively, the memory of the postage computer can store at least two tables for the same mail carrier. One of the two tables is the table which will be valid in the future, the loading of which was initiated early by the actuation of a trigger key subject to a fee. The mail carrier is the appertaining postal authority or a private carrier that sends a communication to the user of the mail processing system informing the user of an impending effective date of a new fee schedule. There is usually still enough time before conversion to the new table from the date on which the user receives, for example, a letter with the information delivered by the mail carrier. If all users were to attempt at the same point in time to load the data from the server of a data center, the data center would become temporarily unreachable for some of these users. Even if the data processing capacity of the server were extremely high, so that data could be loaded significantly faster and even if simultaneous communication were possible with a number of subscriber terminals or modems, the problem could only be alleviated but not eliminated. Inventively, the procedures of loading and updating are separated from one another in time, so that a relatively large time span is available for loading.
The fact that the data are already loaded before the date of conversion enables the telephone charges to be advantageously reduced. Since the updating does not ensue during a communication with the server but independently thereof, the updating can be simultaneously implemented in all systems (users) once these systems have loaded the data in one of their memories in advance and stored the data in non-volatile fashion. This solution requires only slightly more memory space, which is becoming increasingly less expensive, and thus minimizes not only the conversion time but also the number of modems that are required and that must be connected to the server.
The executive sequences with which an updating of data are triggered sequence automatically. A memory location is reserved for this purpose in that device of the system that is intended to store the date when the table takes effect, i.e., a conversion date.
The memory location must be interrogated under specific conditions. The same device of the system that implements this interrogation also undertakes the check to determine whether the conversion time has been reached.
The invention is based on the need of some mail carriers to arbitrarily change the service data, particularly the fees in postage rate tables. The service data are required in a processing module in or at the terminal equipment. The service data particularly include the fees in postage fee schedule tables, but are not limited thereto. For simplicity and to avoid repetition only postage fee schedule tables are mentioned below, but other types of service data are not excluded.
Advantageously, thus, the communication from the data center by modem can ensue directly with the processing module in the terminal equipment or indirectly with the processing module via the terminal equipment.
The processing module is an electronic postage computer. The postage computer can be integrated in the terminal equipment or can be arranged separately from the terminal equipment. The terminal equipment is preferably an electronic postage meter machine or a postage calculating scale. The terminal equipment is connected to or contains the postage computer and the microprocessor of the terminal equipment or of the postage computer is programmed to undertake storage of the new postage fee schedule table data in the memor of the terminal equipment or in the memory of the postage computer.